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Author's Note:This story is a personal project—my way of exploring ideas and emotions that matter to me. I'm still growing as a writer, so the early chapters might feel a little rough, but I plan to improve alongside the story.
If you're here, thank you. Whether you stay for one chapter or the whole journey, I hope you find something worth remembering.
I can't promise perfect consistency, but I'll aim to release at least three chapters a week. If all goes well, I may revisit and refine the early chapters later on.
Thanks again—and I hope you enjoy.
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'My mother used to always tell me that I'd grow up to become a hero, that I'd save the world and create a legacy—and I believed her.'
A short, teenage boy with striking blond hair thought as bits and pieces of his life flashed before his eyes, tears streaming down his face, which was contorted with immense sadness.
His whole neighborhood had just suffered a minor world inversion, and with it, a few monsters had appeared. He had saved his neighbor from a lizard-like beast and was on his way back home to tell his mother about his heroic exploits and make her proud.
But on his way back, the ground suddenly shook.
The boy's calm walk turned into a nervous sprint.
'Something feels wrong.'
He wanted to reach his home as fast as possible to make sure his family was safe. Just before he got there, he felt the world come to a stop. He tripped over his own feet and started falling as everything, even him, began turning illusory. His body was stuck in midair, but his mind was still working as usual.
Then he finally noticed it.
A creature, holding something in its sharp maw.
The creature looked almost like a mighty lion, only this one was pure silver, with two twisting onyx horns and two long tails that ended in blade-like tips.
The boy recognized what it was holding almost immediately.
It was his mom.
Immediately his heart sank, fear gripping his heart, terror overwhelming his mind.
'Mom? How could something like this happen? She was always so gentle and supportive, so why?' He thought, tears slowly forming in his eyes.
Moments passed, but the world was unmoving.
'All I ever wanted was to protect her and live up to her expectations.'
The young boy chuckled.
'I'm also dying, aren't I? At least I had fun—but why does it feel so bitter, like I didn't manage to make Mom truly happy?'
He looked toward his mom, who was only a few steps away, her body limp, still hanging in the jaws of the odd-looking beast.
He stared at the beast a moment longer. All he felt was simmering rage and overwhelming grief.
He thought back to his promise to his only childhood friend—their last conversation had ended with them swearing to become heroes together.
'What a shame, I don't think we'll meet again, Lyra. I couldn't become a hero even at the very end.'
The boy's expression shifted, now showing a hint of a smile. His snot – and tear-covered face looked almost comical if one managed to catch a glimpse of his slowly disappearing figure.
'I think I lost myself somewhere along the way.'
His expression dimmed; the slight smirk quickly faded from his face.
'After all, how is one supposed to become a hero if they can't even protect their family?'
His thoughts turned to his family.
'That's right, I have a sister.'
The boy opened his mouth to speak, which was becoming harder as his body neared its end.
"Oh my little sister, I hope you're doing well… I… I'm sorry I couldn't protect Mom."
The young boy's body was being consumed by an ethereal energy, slowly torn apart.
'I hope at least you survived.'
The last pieces of his existence were being erased as a final tear fell from his eye to the ground below him, which was oddly glowing—almost transparent and somehow beautiful, not at all horrifying. It was as if the world was turning into pure, beautiful quartz, shining with the soft, elegant light of cold energy.
The ground was mostly transparent with a hint of soft blue, slowly shattering like glass. The reflections of the ethereal light and the bright sunlight mixed together, making it feel like heaven—even though the scene before him was closer to hell.
'I wish I could've at least told Mom I loved her one last time,' he thought, just before the world became dark and quiet.
The boy's existence was erased from the world, his body turning into shards of glass similar to those that now made up the ground, the shards shattered and turned into dust disappearing forever.
His thoughts lingered, his mind still fully functional. The boy's thoughts never stopped, not even for a second.
He couldn't rest.
Not yet.
Not when the monster that attacked his home and snapped his mother's spine right in front of him was still alive.
He had to get revenge—no, not revenge. That's not what his mom would've wanted.
He had to make sure his sister survived.
But how was he going to do that? He didn't have a body anymore. He couldn't even be sure that he was alive.
'Could this be the last few minutes of brain activity before death?'
He wanted to shake his head.
'No, it can't be.'
He quickly threw that thought away.
But there was something odd—a subtle feeling of his very being starting to fade. His memories were slowly slipping, his emotions turning shallow, almost nonexistent.
He already couldn't feel his body. So what would happen if he stopped feeling everything? What would happen when he lost consciousness? Would he fade from existence completely?
'I can't see, I can't feel, I can't use my senses. It's like I don't exist.'
The boy's thoughts turned from grim to hopeful.
'I don't want to die yet. If there's even a possibility that I somehow survive this, I have to make it happen. I have to protect my sister.'
Time was flying by… or was it? He couldn't tell anymore.
At this point, he was barely conscious, all thoughts and feelings apart from self-awareness long gone.
He had been drifting for what felt like an eternity when, suddenly, he felt something.
His mind stirred as he slowly regained consciousness.
'Where am I? How long have I been here? What is this feeling?'
Was it pain? He thought—no, it was different. It felt like something he had experienced before, but he couldn't quite put a finger on it, especially since… he didn't have fingers.
His senses were returning, and with them, memories and emotions.
He felt odd, though.
For him, it was as if he had been alive for both dozens of years and only a couple of moments.
He was starting to remember what happened to him before disappearing.
'I remember now… Mom isn't here anymore.'
He wanted to cry, but he still didn't have a body to produce tears.
Soon, his other senses began to return.
He felt… warm?
'What is this feeling? It's like I'm laying on gravel… no, not gravel. Is this… sand? And why do I feel naked? Wait… I can feel my body!'
The boy felt a surge of ecstasy, almost forgetting the overwhelming sadness that was washing over him.
'But why can't I see or hear anything?'
His senses were returning one by one, slowly merging in his mind, forming a picture of his surroundings.
It was hot. The weather felt hostile, the air tasted scorched, and there was a weird, almost rotting smell.
And then—finally—he felt his body in its entirety.
All his senses returned at once, and his mind overloaded with information.